The One Tree Hill cast reveal how "traumatised" they are following allegations of sexual harassment on set

14 Nov 2017

3 min read

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Eighteen members of cast and crew have come forward.

Cast members of popular TV series One Tree Hill have released a letter accusing former showrunner Mark Schwahn of sexual harassment.

The letter, which was written on behalf of many cast and crew including Sophia Bush, Hilarie Burton and Bethany Joy Lenz, also offered their support to former colleague Audrey Wauchope whom Deadline reports has accused Schwahn of sexual harassment.

The letter states that the 18 cast and crew listed, “have chosen this forum to stand together in support of Audrey Wauchope and one another”

“Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally,” the letter reads.

"More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress. Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to swiftly learn to fight back, sometimes physically, because it was made clear to us that the supervisors in the room were not the protectors they were supposed to be. Many of us were spoken to in ways that ran the spectrum from deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to downright illegal. And a few of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe,”

Wauchope released a number of statements to Twitter detailing the harassment:

In light of the Andrew Kreisberg reporting, a couple thoughts about my first writing job that I've wanted to say for years but have never had the guts to. When I was 29 my writing partner @RachelSpecter and I were hired as staff writers.

In light of the Andrew Kreisberg reporting, a couple thoughts about my first writing job that I've wanted to say for years but have never had the guts to. When I was 29 my writing partner @RachelSpecter and I were hired as staff writers.

Rachel had been actress previous to writing and was told that he used to talk about her in the room before we were hired. So that's a safe room to enter as staff writers. Imagine what that does to ones psyche.

Imagine feeling for the rest of your career that you're possibly an imposter - that maybe just maybe you're only here because you're a body, not a mind. It creeps into your thoughts and keeps you up at night and makes you wonder.

Wauchope also mention being touched against her wishes by Schwahn (whom she did not identify by name) and how he released naked photos of an actress without the woman’s knowledge. Wauchope also says Schwahn called Wauchope’s writing partner into his office in an attempt to convince her not to get married, and date him instead.

"I’m furious and sad and everything else for the women who have sat on that couch next to that man,” Wauchope wrote on Twitter.

“And I’m furious and sad and everything else that years later I don’t feel safe to be able to do anything real about this and that it seems to be happening all over this town.”

In a statement Monday, E!, Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television addressed the allegations stating, “We are monitoring the information carefully. E!, Universal Cable Productions and Lionsgate Television are committed to providing a safe working environment in which everyone is treated respectfully and professionally.”

The full letter, obtained via Variety reads:

"To Whom It May Concern,

All of the female cast members of One Tree Hill have chosen this forum to stand together in support of Audrey Wauchope and one another. To use terminology that has become familiar as thesystemic reality of sexual harassment and assault has come more and more to light, Mark Schwahn’s behavior over the duration of the filming of One Tree Hill was something of an “open secret.” Many of us were, to varying degrees, manipulated psychologically and emotionally. More than one of us is still in treatment for post-traumatic stress. Many of us were put in uncomfortable positions and had to swiftly learn to fight back, sometimes physically, because it was made clear to us that the supervisors in the room were not the protectors they were supposed to be. Many of us were spoken to in ways that ran the spectrum from deeply upsetting, to traumatizing, to downright illegal. And a few of us were put in positions where we felt physically unsafe. More than one woman on our show had her career trajectory threatened.

The through line in all of this was, and still is, our unwavering support of and faith in one another. We confided in each other. We set up safe spaces to talk about his behavior and how to handle it. To warn new women who joined our ranks. We understood that a lot of it was orchestrated in ways that kept it out of sight for the studio back home. We also understood that no one was fully unaware. The lack of action that has been routine, the turning of the other cheek, is intolerable. We collectively want to echo the calls of women everywhere that vehemently demand change, in all industries.

Many of us were told, during filming, that coming forward to talk about this culture would result in our show being canceled and hundreds of lovely, qualified, hard-working, and talented people losing their jobs. This is not an appropriate amount of pressure to put on young girls. Many of us since have stayed silent publicly but had very open channels of communication in our friend group and in our industry, because we want Tree Hill to remain the place “where everything’s better and everything’s safe” for our fans; some of whom have said that the show quite literally saved their lives. But the reality is, no space is safe when it has an underlying and infectious cancer. We have worked at taking our power back, making the conventions our own, and relishing in the good memories. But there is more work to be done.

We are all deeply grateful for Audrey’s courage. For one another. And for every male cast mate and crew member who has reached out to our group of women to offer their support these last few days. They echo the greater rallying cry that must lead us to change: Believe Women. We are all in this together.